A new-look Frontier hoops schedule awaiting Lights

The Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team is the two-time defending Frontier Conference champions. But when the Lights get to Frontier play later this year, the schedule will be unlike anything they've seen before.

Northern head coach Shawn Huse recently released his tentative schedule for the upcoming 2012-13 season, and what jumps out the most is a completely different looking conference schedule. The addition of Dickinson State University has changed scheduling dramatically in the league, including the fact that rivals Westminster and Lewis-Clark State will play one less league game than the rest of the conference due to not having to travel to Dickinson, N.D. this winter.

Also interesting is that each team in the Frontier will play several one-game weekends, though most conference teams still have a travel partner. Dickinson is paired with Rocky Mountain College, while Northern is still UGF's travel partner in most cases. Westminster is now paired with UM-Western, while LC State is now with Montana Tech. That leaves Carroll College flying solo on several trips, including a Nov. 30 visit to Havre, which will be the Frontier opener for both teams.

Northern then re-enters conference play on Jan. 3-4 with home games against DSU and RMC, respectively, then plays its first Frontier road games at Western on Jan. 10 and Westminster on Jan. 12. The Lights are back at home to play Tech and LC State on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19. MSU-N's rivalry games against Great Falls are set for Jan. 24 in the Electric City and Feb. 1 in Havre. The Lights close out their home schedule with Western on Feb. 14 and Westminster on Feb. 16, while they visit RMC on Feb. 21 and DSU on Feb. 23 to close out the regular season.

And while the new Frontier schedule will take some getting used to, the Lights will have plenty of games to prepare for league play.

MSU-N opens the season with a trip to Edmonton, Alberta Oct. 12-13, where the Lights will play twice. In fact, Northern plays its first five games of the season on the road in Canada.

MSU-N's home opener is set for Oct. 26 against the University of Lethbridge, and Northern opens the month of November with a game against Cascade Conference powerhouse Warner Pacific on Nov. 1. November also includes the Frontier opener with the Saints, as well as a visit from the Jamestown Jimmies, a team which hasn't played in Havre in quite some time. At press time, the Lights have just one home game scheduled for December, a matchup with New Hope Christian on Dec. 1. Northern will also play two games in Portland, Ore., Dec. 18-20 before jumping back into league play.

The Frontier playopffs, In which the Lights have won the last two years, are scheduled for the first week in March.

The Lights won both the regular season and postseason Frontier titles a year ago.

2012-13 Lights

Basketball Schedule

Oct. 12 vs Concordia University

In Edmonton, Alberta

Oct. 13 vs King's University

In Edmonton, Alberta

Oct. 19 vs Thompson Rivers

In Kamloops, B.C.

Oct. 20 vs Fraser Valley

In Kamloops, B.C.

Oct. 21 at UBC-Okanagan

Oct. 26 vs University of Lethbridge

Nov. 3 vs Warner Pacific

Nov. 9 at Las Vegas Tournament

Nov. 10 at Las Vegas Tournament

Nov. 24 vs Jamestown College

Nov. 30 vs Carroll College

Dec. 1 vs New Hope Christian

Dec. 18 vs New Hope Christian

In Portland, Ore.

Dec. 20 vs Portland Bible College

In Portland, Ore.

Jan. 3 vs Dickinson State

Jan. 4 vs Rocky Mountain

Jan. 10 at UM-Western

Jan. 12 at Westminster

Jan. 18 vs Montana Tech

Jan. 19 vs Lewis-Clark

Jan. 24 at Great Falls

Jan. 26 at Lewis-Clark

Feb. 1 vs Great Falls

Feb. 8 at Montana Tech

Feb. 9 at Carroll College

Feb. 14 vs UM-Western

Feb. 16 vs Westminster

Feb. 21 at Rocky Mountain

Feb. 23 at Dickinson State

MSU-N sophomore Corbin Pearson looks for a shot during the 2012 Frontier Conference men's championship game. The Lights recently released their 2012-13 schedule.